Q&A: How Trump says he'll break from his business

The clash of views reflects different ideas of what "separation" should mean and how far Trump should go to avoid the desire for private profit coming before the pursuit of public good.

Trump says handing over management control, stopping international deals and appointing a watchdog of sorts to monitor conflicts is enough, and far more than required under law.

[...] he said he will put his business assets in a trust and hand over management control of his company to his two adult sons and a longtime Trump Organization executive.

[...] he has vowed to wall himself off from communications about his company, including discussing it with his children.

[...] he promised no new deals overseas.

"President-elect Trump wants there to be no doubt in the minds of the American public that he is completely isolating himself from his business interests," she said.

Ethics lawyers who have worked for presidents in both parties say the plan leaves Trump far too open to shape regulations, taxes and foreign policy to enrich himself, and for other people to try to curry favor with him.

Rightly or wrongly, people will harbor doubts about the real motives behind U.S. policy, and all the second guessing could compromise the moral authority of the office of the president.

Walter Shaub, the director of the Office of Government Ethics, pointed to this ephemeral, crucial quality of a president in a speech following Trump's news conference.